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Home > Media Center > News Releases > PETA DEMANDS JAIL TIME, PSYCHIATRIC INTERVENTION IF ALLEGED ADAMS COUNTY HORSE ABUSER IS CONVICTED
For Immediate Release: Contact: Hastings, Neb. --- This morning, PETA fired off a letter to Deputy County Attorney for Adams County Shawn Sweley, urging him to vigorously prosecute Rose Marie Arthur of the Hastings area. Arthur faces 38 charges stemming from authorities’ reported discovery and subsequent seizure of 20 malnourished horses from her property earlier this year. News sources state that the animals had been moved from Kansas last year after neglect charges were filed against Arthur there. Arthur is scheduled to face the current charges in court tomorrow, August 11. “People who demonstrate such blatant disregard for life and desensitization to suffering can pose a serious risk to the people and animals with whom they come in contact,” says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Stephanie Bell. “Mental health professionals and top law-enforcement officials consider cruelty to animals to be a red flag.” PETA is asking that For more information, please visit HelpingAnimals.com. PETA’s letter to Deputy County Attorney Shawn Sweley follows. August 10, 2004 Shawn Sweley, Deputy County Attorney Dear Mr. Sweley: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world’s largest animal rights organization, with more than 800,000 members and supporters dedicated to animal protection. This letter concerns a recent case of cruelty to animals that your office is handling, involving Rose Marie Arthur of the Hastings area. Arthur faces 38 charges stemming from authorities’ reported seizure of 20 malnourished horses from her charge earlier this year. Investigators report that the horses—who, according to an Associated Press article, were moved from Kansas in 2003 after similar charges were filed there against the accused—had languished without proper sustenance and care since October of last year on Arthur’s farm outside Hastings. We understand that Arthur is scheduled to answer these charges in court on August 11. Mental health professionals and top law-enforcement officials consider the blatant disregard for life and desensitization to suffering evidenced by all forms of cruelty to be a red flag. In fact, the American Psychiatric Association identifies cruelty to animals as one of the diagnostic criteria for conduct disorders, and the FBI uses reports of these crimes in analyzing the threat potential of suspected and known criminals. Experts agree that it is the severity of the behavior, not the species of the victim, that matters. On behalf of our thousands of members in Nebraska, we respectfully ask that, upon conviction and in addition to a period of incarceration, Rose Arthur be required to undergo a thorough psychological evaluation followed by mandatory counseling at her expense—the safety of the community may depend on it. Because repeat crimes are the rule rather than the exception among animal abusers and given Arthur’s apparent, prolonged, and utter disregard for the lives and suffering of animals in her custody, we implore your office to take every measure necessary to ensure that she is barred from all future contact with animals—especially those whose reported conditions are the basis of the charges at hand—and to immediately find and seize any who may remain in her charge. Thank you for your diligence in this matter and for your time and consideration. Do not hesitate to contact me at 757-622-7382 if you have any questions or if our office can be of assistance. Sincerely, Stephanie Bell, Cruelty Caseworker
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